Yes and no. If you want to make screen printed transfers for a cold peel application, you can use almost any standard plastisol ink. This is assuming that the plastisol ink that you want to use has a formulation that has enough opacity to give you a acceptable print result. Cold peel transfers have a thicker, rubbery feel that is O.K. for substrates like ball caps or non-apparel items like pennants, flags, etc. But cold peel transfers are less than ideal for t-shirts or other wearables because of the heavy ink deposit that many people find objectionable.

If you want a "direct screen printed" look with a "soft hand" feel, you will need to use a specially formulated hot split transfer plastisol ink. When applying a heat transfer using transfers printed with hot split plastisol ink, a portion of the ink remains on the paper and the remainder is transferred to the garment--thus the name the "hot-split." Hot split plastisol inks come in regular opacity as well as high opacity formulations.Have a question about screen printing or t-shirt printing? Ask ASPA! -- Get Answers.

A question from Flagstaff, AZ.QUESTION: How long do screens last for screen printing?ANSWER: If screens are taken care of properly, they can last a lifetime. This is especially true of retensionable screens. The mesh on retensionable screens can be tightened as necessary, essentially making them "new" again.Rigid frame screens (wooden and aluminum frames) can also last for a very long time if just a few simple precautions are taken with them.You should adopt the following practices to increase screen longevity:

Clean them carefully and thoroughly after each print job.

Reclaim them as soon as is practical. (removing old emulsion can be difficult).

For long term storage of unused wooden screens, store them in air-tight containers (such as heavy duty trash bags) because wooden screen frames can warp from humidity.

Most importantly, handle all screens with great care. Once you get a rip or tear in the mesh, the longevity of the screen will decrease substantially. To increase the life of screens with small mesh tears, tape over the ripped portion with durable screen tape.

A question from El Paso, TX.QUESTION: How do I avoid undercured emulsion?

ANSWER: Once your screens are coated with emulsion (or capillary film), allow ample time for the emulsion to fully dry. A period of 12 hours is usually sufficient. Dry your just coated screens in a warm, dark area to ensure proper drying. Screen drying cabinets can also be used to speed up the drying process. They are available from screen printing equipment suppliers. After you have exposed a screen and washed out the stencil, allow the screen to dry to for at least an hour before printing with it. Running a fan over the screen will speed up the drying process. Post exposing a newly-imaged screen on your exposure unit will harden the emulsion and make it more durable.Have a question about screen printing or t-shirt printing? Ask ASPA! -- Get Answers.

A question from Beachwood, OH.QUESTION: Do you know of any apprenticeship programs in screen printing?

ANSWER: Many screen printing shops offer on-the-job screen printing training for new employees. In fact, many screen printers obtain their training by learning on the job. ASPA has business member print shops that use the ASPA Certified Screen Printer (CSP) certification program as part of their training for new hires. Being ASPA certified can strengthen your prospects of getting a screen printing job.

Here's a screen printing related question from Torreagüera, Murcia, Spain.QUESTION: I'm new at screen printing. What are the mesh counts that I should use?Here is a practical chart for choosing mesh counts:

MESH COUNT CHART (Common Mesh Counts and Typical Applications) (Your supplier may offer mesh counts that are slightly different that those indicated below. Small deviations from these numbers is not critical. Purchase the next closest size that is available.)

These mesh counts apply to textile and hard goods as well. For printing with solvent based inks on ad specialty products, mesh counts of 230-305 will usually produce desired results as a thin ink deposit is usually indicated.

You are experiencing “sizing burn-off." When flash curing, unpleasant fumes are often released into the work area from the shirt during the heating process. Most shirts are treated with “sizing” agents to increase the weight, crispness, and luster of the shirt. When heat from the flash unit is applied to the shirt, these sizing agents begin to “burn off,” creating a characteristic odor. When you first experience this, you will most likely become alarmed thinking that the shirt is “burning up,” but it is only the sizing being eliminated from the shirt. The best way to control this problem is to keep a fan operating nearby to blow the sizing fumes away from the work area. The sizing burn-off problem will be most apparent when flashing fleece (sweatshirts, sweatpants), and certain colors of dark shirts, e.g. (forest green and royal blue shirts). Have a question about screen printing or t-shirt printing? Ask ASPA! -- Get Answers.

"Off-contact," for those who don't know, is the gap between thebottom of the screen and the substrate (the item being printed), itspurpose is to improve printability during screen printing process.For screen printing plastics, paper, and t-shirts (as well as otherlight weight apparel), the "thickness of a dime" is a good startingpoint for the off-contact gap. When you are printing thick apparel (likesweatshirts) start with an off-contact gap of the "thickness of anickel" and increase or decrease as necessary. The goal of off-contactscreen printing is to obtain a good "snap-off" when the squeegee passesover the stencil in the screen, resulting in a sharp printed image.

Heavy fleece material like hooded sweatshirts take longer to cure than light weight apparel like t-shirts. It's a good idea to slow down the belt speed on your dryer so the hoodies stay in the dryer chamber longer. It's also a good idea to send sweatshirts through the dryer twice to ensure a fully cured print. Consider buying a heat gun to measure the temperature of the screen printed area of the garment as it is coming off of the dryer belt. Plastisol ink achieves full cure at 320 degrees.Have a question about screen printing or t-shirt printing? Ask ASPA! -- Get Answers.

Designing the artwork to allow for a gap at the seam of the seat of the pants helps greatly. This is easy to do if you are printing lettering only. Use a smaller squeegee and stroke down the left side and right side of the sweatpant separately. Trying to print directly over the seam may cause some off contact problems. If your artwork does not lend itself to being separated to both sides of the pant seam and you have to print over the seam, use a lower mesh count screen. If you have off contact problems, try using some shims under the left and right sides of the pant or making several passes with your squeegee. Hot split or cold peel transfers also work well over the seat because of the pressure applied from the heat press.Have a question about screen printing or t-shirt printing? Ask ASPA! -- Get Answers.

Higher mesh count fabric color is dyed so that when you're exposing a high mesh count screen, the light will not scatter as much as it would with white fabric, this factor having some importance when exposing critical images including halftones. Why there are so many colors to choose from is a mystery, but gold seems to be most common “colored” mesh available from most screen printing supply vendors. A general rule used in many apparel screen printing shops is to order gold colored mesh for all mesh counts of 200 and up.Have a question about screen printing or t-shirt printing? Ask ASPA! -- Get Answers.